Petunia plant named ‘Conblue’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Conblue’, characterized by its outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit; freely branching habit; small rounded leaves; numerous small single flowers that are light purple in color with dark purple-colored venation; and good garden performance.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Petunia×hybrida cultivar Conblue.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petuniaplant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Conblue.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new Petunias with numerous small flowers withattractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross made by the Inventor on Dec. 25,1998 of the Petunia cultivar Fantasy Ivory, not patented, as the female,or seed parent, with an unidentified selection of Petunia, not patented,as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a singleplant from the resulting progeny by the Inventor on Sep. 25, 1999, inShiga Prefecture, Japan, on the basis of its small and numerous lightpurple-colored flowers with dark purple-colored venation.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttingstaken in Gensingen, Germany has shown that the unique features of thisnew Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Conblue have not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, light intensity anddaylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Conblue’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Conblue’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit.

3. Small rounded leaves.

4. Numerous small single flowers that are light purple in color withdark purple-colored venation.

5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the female parent, thecultivar Fantasy Ivory, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more outwardly spreading and not asupright as plants of the female parent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous than plants of the femaleparent.

3. Plants of the new Petunia have better garden performance than plantsof the female parent.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the male parent, theunidentified Petunia selection, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous than plants of the maleparent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of the maleparent.

3. Plants of the new Petunia flower for a longer period of time thanplants of the male parent.

Plants of the new Petunia differ primarily from plants of the cultivarConbloss, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/996,378 filedconcurrently in flower color.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivarSunsolos, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inGensingen, Germany, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants ofthe cultivar Sunsolos in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia had a denser and less open plant habit thanplants of the cultivar Sunsolos.

2. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller leaves than plants of thecultivar Sunsolos.

3. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller flowers than plants of thecultivar Sunsolos.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof three typical flowering plants of ‘Conblue’ grown in a 20-cmcontainer.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical flower buds, typical opening flowers, upper and lower surfacesof typical fully opened flowers, upper surface of a typical developingleaf, and lower and upper surfaces of typical fully expanded leaves of‘Conblue’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Bonsall, Calif., in an outdoornursery during the late spring and early summer under full sunconditions with day temperatures ranging from 18 to about 35° C. andnight temperatures ranging from 7 to 18° C. After planting rootedcuttings, plants were grown for about nine weeks in 20-cm containerswith three plants per container. Color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Conblue.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Petunia×hybrida cultivar Fantasy Ivory, not patented.

Male parent.—Unidentified Petunia×hybrida selection, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About 15 days at 20 to 22° C.

Time to develop roots, summer and winter.—About 20 days at 18 to 22° C.

Root description.—Fine; white, close to 155D, in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; initially upright, thenoutwardly spreading and trailing; uniform. Freely branching habit withabout 16 lateral branches per plant.

Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio containersand landscape applications.

Plant height.—About 17 cm.

Plant diameter.—Individual plant: About 32 cm. All three plants: About65 cm.

Vigor.—Vigorous.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 30 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Internodelength: About 2.5 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144B.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate before flowering; oppositeafter flowers develop; simple. Quantity per lateral branch: About 28.Length: About 3.4 cm. Width: About 2.3 cm. Shape: Elliptic, rounded.Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Upper andlower surfaces, smooth and glandular. Venation pattern: Pinnate,arcuate. Color: Developing leaves, upper and lower surfaces: 144C. Fullyexpanded leaves, upper surface: 147B. Fully expanded leaves, lowersurface: 147C. Venation, upper surface: 147C. Venation, lower surface:144B. Petiole length: About 6 mm. Petiole diameter: About 2 mm. Petiolecolor: 144C.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Single salverform flowers; flowers face mostlyupward or outward; axillary. Very freely flowering habit, about five toseven flowers and flower buds per lateral branch at one time.

Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; long flowering period,spring until frost in the autumn; flowering continuous during thisperiod. Plants start flowering about four weeks after planting rootedcuttings. Flowers persistent.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About four to five days.

Fragrance.—None detected.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 5 cm. Tube length: About 2.8 cm. Throatdiameter, distal end: About 1.2 cm. Tube diameter, proximal end: About 4mm.

Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 3.4 cm. Diameter: At apex,about 9 mm; at base, about 4 mm. Shape: Elongated oblong with ruffledapices. Color: 150D.

Corolla.—Quantity/arrangement: Five fused petals in a single whorl,funnelform. Petal length from throat: About 2 cm. Petal width: About 2.4cm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or fan-shaped. Petal apex: Broadlyacute. Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture: Smooth, velvety. Color:Petal, upper surface, when opening: Center and towards margins, 85D;towards throat, 84B. Petal, lower surface, when opening: 85D. Petal,upper surface, fully opened: 85D; color fading to 155D with subsequentdevelopment. Petal, lower surface, fully opened: Somewhat more whitethan 85D. Flower throat (inside): 84B. Flower tube (outside): 155A.Venation, upper petal surface: 84A. Venation, lower petal surface: 147C.Venation, throat: 86B to 86C. Venation, tube: 147C to 147D.

Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused atbase, star-shaped. Lenth: About 1 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape:Strap-like; elongate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, bothsurfaces: Pubescent, glandular. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 146B.

Peduncles.—Length: About 2.4 cm. Width: About 1 mm. Angle: About 45°from the stem. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144C.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About five. Anthershape: Ovoid. Anther size: About 2 mm by 2 mm. Anther color: 202B.Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 202B. Pistils: Quantity perflower: One. Pistil length: About 2.1 cm. Style length: About 1.4 cm.Style color: 144B. Stigma shape: Bi-lobed. Stigma color: 144A. Ovarycolor: 144C.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and/or fruit production has not been observed to date.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been notedto be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Petunia.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to havegood garden performance. Plants of the new Petunia have been noted totolerate temperatures from 0 to 35° C. and have excellent tolerance torain and wind.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named‘Conblue’, as illustrated and described.